Firefighting vehicles, such as ladder trucks, are often equipped with aerial ladders configured to be rotated, raised, lowered, and extended. Certain aerial ladders may be extended in excess of one hundred feet, such as may be required to aid firefighters in fighting fires in multiple story buildings and/or in conducting rescues therefrom. Generally, aerial ladders are hydraulically operated, such that the ladders may be raised, rotated, and/or extended to an operative position and lowered and retracted to a stowed position.
Aerial ladders often comprise a plurality of individual ladder sections, which are configured to telescopically extend and retract with respect to each other. Specifically, the individual ladder sections of an aerial ladder are configured to telescopically extend from a retracted position so as to extend the entire reach of the ladder.
The individual ladder sections are often formed from high-strength material, such as steel or aluminum. As such, each of the individual ladder sections can weigh a significant amount, such that the individual ladder sections may undergo significant frictional forces (i.e., static and dynamic friction) during extension and retraction. Furthermore, when the ladders are extended and/or at least partially raised in an operational configuration, significant forces are applied to the individual ladder sections due to the weight of the individual ladder sections and due to any personnel or equipment supported thereon.
Accordingly there exists a need for an aerial ladder with an extension support system for supporting the significant weight of individual ladder sections of the aerial ladder and for minimizing the frictional forces experienced by the individual ladder sections during extension and retraction.